napa lighted art festival 2026
The Napa Lighted Art Festival is a celebration of creative arts, technology, and lights. The Napa Lighted Art Festival is a free, open-air festival with the nighttime backdrop of downtown Napa. It is open to all members of the public and will attract admirers from near and far. Currently in its 8th edition, the festival supports innovative techniques using light and light technologies as a growing art medium.
Both artists and artist groups are encouraged to apply to have an installation featured at the Napa Lighted Art Festival. For the 2026 Festival, the curatorial team will select approximately 10 installations to receive a stipend between $2,000-$10,000. Artists interested in submitting should consider both the audience and the outdoor environment of the festival when proposing a project. Each artwork of the Napa Lighted Art Festival will be open and operational for all festival hours for each of the nights.
The festival supports innovative techniques using light and light technologies as a growing art medium. Light itself in any form should be the actual artwork, and we require that the role of light be essential to your concept. We are not looking for artworks where light is used only to illuminate it. We also strongly encourage new technologies and innovative use of light.
As well as new ideas for artworks, we are open to receiving proposals to exhibit existing works, provided they meet the festival themes and criteria.
Artwork could include any of the following genres and/or technology: light sculptures, light art, video art, 3D video mapping projections, LED, fiber optics, custom gobo designs, interactive works, lasers etc.
General Festival Information
Festival Dates: January 17th – February 15th, 2026
Festival Times: Sunday-Thursday 6:00-9:00 p.m. and Friday-Saturday 6:00-10:00 p.m.
Location: Various sites and buildings in the Napa Downtown Area
Artist stipends: $2,000-$10,000 (or negotiated)
Budget: In addition to the artist stipend, we will have a maximum budget for each location for the technical lighting equipment and production of the festival. The artist shall refer to the technical specifications for each site. The proposal will be evaluated based on the budget allocated per site and take into account the artist’s ability to produce the proposal within the scope of the budget. Submissions that are an unrealistic and/or incomplete will not go forward. For physical or sculpture artwork, the proposal budget must install the full installation, deinstallation and insurance of the artwork including any staff assistance or equipment rental which must be provided by the artists.
Exhibition in Napa Lighted Art Festival 2026
